For the second time this year, when polled, B.C. Transit customers expressed their strong approval of the agency’s new route structure and other transit service features.

TransPro surveyed 500 transit customers onboard B.C. Transit buses in September and results show since May customer satisfaction has increased 36%.

“Customers told us back in May, when they were first surveyed, that they were happy with the changes, and they are telling us today that they are even more pleased with our transit service,” Preston said. “The service improvements we introduced earlier this year represent a savings of $400,000 annually, and have been great for both customers and Broome County taxpayers.”

The route improvements went into effect in February 2016 in response to recommendations from a comprehensive evaluation of the transit route system last year. This is the first adjustment of BC transit route structure in 20 years.

While the route restructure has increased frequencies on the busiest bus lines and expanded service to new locations, it is also yielding $400,000 in annualized operational savings without adjusting B.C. Transit’s workforce or bus fares.

According to the results of the survey conducted over two weeks in September and October, the overwhelming majority of customers (90%) feel that B.C. Transit service is as good or even better than it was a year ago.

“Every transit agency strives to have happy customers while saving taxpayers money, and that is exactly what B.C. Transit is doing this year,” Aesch said. “When reliance on taxpayer dollars decreases, customer satisfaction increases, and both the cost to ride and the workforce remain stable, that’s a grand slam for Broome County.”